Good Morning!
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days,
and they brought him near before him. And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations,
and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).
Rembrandt's version of the ascension reminds us of something very important. When Jesus was taken up, an angel made an announcement:
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).
Artists have preferred painting Jesus' being taken up over painting His return to earth. This may be because for hundreds of years the prevailing theology couldn't agree with itself about the passages dealing with Christ's return and all the end-time passages that we call "eschatology," the doctrine of last things. In all other matters, theologians have insisted on careful analysis of words and the Biblical languages they are translated from.
But in matters of Christ's return, theology in general slipped into all manner of allegorical license with end-time passages. I believe it was Dr. John Walvoord who said in one of his several books on end-time themes that he had read over 60 theories of what end-time systems of thought could mean. No wonder the whole crowd that followed such foolishness just gave up and stopped writing about the return of Christ to the earth and no wonder the artists did not choose to paint about His return to earth. But if the end-time passages are interpreted in a literal sense unless the passage is clearly a figure of speech, then the number of variations of interpretation are immediately limited—severely.
Let's read today's text carefully and not read something into it that is not there. As we shall see several times in this study, Christ is going to come back to the earth and reign on the throne of His earthly father: David, in Jerusalem for one thousand years. In the above passage, Jesus is not yet coming to the earth. He is coming before the Ancient of Days, the Father in the Trinity. This is the legal transfer of power of the earth from the Gentiles into the hands of Christ. This takes place before Christ comes in the clouds to the earth with His saints. Thus, this scene is NOT about Christ coming back FOR the saints—the rapture.
When Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Supreme Court) we have these recorded words: "… Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:61-62).
Obviously this is a compressing of time in that He is sitting and at the same time coming in the clouds of heaven. I understand today's text above to be like that. Nebuchadnezzar's big image was also a compression of a time line in that he saw the whole thing at one time. Here we see Christ "coming" with the clouds of Heaven but He is coming to the Ancient of Days. I am assuming that He is on His way to the earth but that He is stopping off at the throne of the Ancient of Days to pick up his legal authority to continue on to the earth.
Notice that in the following verses, there is a transfer of kingly power to the Son: "shall give."
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Psalm 2:6-8).
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David"(Luke 1:32).
McGee comments: "Jesus Christ is going to take over the kingdom. How will He do it?—"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psa_2:9). When He comes to the earth, the Millenium will not be there waiting for Him. He will put out all rebellion, and those who are obedient will enter into the Kingdom."
The short New Testmanet book, Jude, has this to say: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him (Jude 1:14-15).
Memory Verses for this week:
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. (31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).
This article can also be viewed at www.bibleliving.blogspot.com.
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